This dramatic and compelling story is based on the clashes that occurred in the center of Odessa and the fire in the Trade Union Building on 2 May 2014 that resulted in 48 deaths and injuries to both sides of the conflict. Lyudmila and Mykola, who with their friends and allies, defends the city of Odessa against the insurgence of Russian-backed mercenaries and their unwitting accomplices.

"When my father died, I was shocked to find out that he was the Phantom in Hitler's SS. This is the story of a young man who enlisted in the US Army and due to his competency in many languages; was selected by the Army to be a spy in Nazi Germany. As fate would have it, he was chosen personally by Adolph Hitler to undertake special assignments."

I visited the Crimea in Ukraine the first time in June 2013, and I enjoyed it enough to return a few months later of the same year. This time I covered a much larger portion of this nation, and once again it was a great trip filled with many positive impressions and a few small adventures.

An eclectic mash up of styles and genres, this collection features over twenty stories inspired by the ports of call on a 2012 voyage with the Japanese NGO Peace Boat. A Japanese maid in Tokyo, a power hungry vizier in Istanbul and a sailor assailed by ghosts while navigating the Panama Canal are just a few of the varied characters to be found inside.

Russia at the turn of the century, a country beset by revolutionary tensions and upheavals, where Jews are increasingly threatened. From a straightforward commercial venture, Feivel’s voyage on a riverboat will turn into a series of adventures, some of them absurdly funny, some hair-raising. Few foresee that much worse is still in store for Jews, in this new century – but what to do about it?

A ring can be made from a coin by tapping with a spoon. That's what my father witnessed while guarding German POWs during World War II. He told me a story about that and I'm sharing it here. When my father died I was struck by the thought that when a man dies his stories die with him unless someone writes them down.